You may know someone who gets a monthly Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income payment. If that person needs help managing their money, Social Security can appoint a person or organization to act as a representative payee.

The representative payee would be responsible for receiving and managing the person’s benefits. Jack Myers at Social Security says they would need to ensure that the person’s needs were being met with the benefit before other purchases could be made. 

When Social Security assigns a payee, they select someone who knows the beneficiary’s needs and is in a position to best use their benefits for the person’s care and well-being. Representative payees are accountable for how they use the beneficiary’s funds and for reporting issues to Social Security that may affect the beneficiary’s eligibility. Myers points out, depending on their relationship to the beneficiary, a representative payee may be required to complete an accounting form each year for Social Security.

The form as well as other helpful services for the payee can be completed through its 'Representative Payee Portal' at mySocialSecurity. Myers indicates the 'Representative Payee Portal' is accessed through the payee’s mySocialSecurity account but it is not available to organizations who serve as a payee. 

Now when you apply for Social Security benefits, you have the option to designate up to 3 different people who could be your representative payee if you ever need one. You list their name, relationship to you, and contact phone number. Myers explains it gives Social Security an idea of whom to turn to should you ever need a payee and not be able to tell us about it.

To learn more about the payee program, visit www.ssa.gov/payee.